Empire State of Mind
by Metalmark
Summary: He was a 'rat,' and he had no place being involved with the rich, pretty boy Ambassador's son of all people, but Nezumi would take all he could get. AU. Nezumi/Shion.
1. Chapter one

**A/N: **AUs, yay; aren't they fun? In which Nezumi is a poor, well, _rat_, and Shion is the pretty rich boy. The Lady and the Tramp anyone? X3;; Yes, it did inspire this!

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><p><strong><span>Empire State of Mind<span>**

**_Chapter One_**

_**.**_

A pencil was fiddled with in between two slender fingers. The monotone drone of a voice echoed. Shion jumped when he felt a ruler tap on his slouching back and he immediately straightened, pale red eyes widening in surprise.

"Shion! Pay attention!"

Shion mumbled a quiet apology and adjusted his pencil correctly in his grasp. His private tutor gave a reprimanding look, tapping the ruler on her arm. Shion wanted to tell her child abuse was quite the crime but realize that the humor would be lost on someone of her strictly business demeanor; instead, he sighed and went back to his trigonometry problems. Numbers, numbers, numbers. . .

Ten minutes later when he was done and was excused, he strolled upstairs to his room. The voices coming from his father's office down the hall called his attention and he stood by the wall of the half-closed door. He knew better than to eavesdrop but once he heard his private tutor's voice say his name, he hesitated in curiosity.

"Shion is a bright child, Ambassador-san but his impassiveness in his studies concerns me…"

At this point, Shion had walked away just as quietly as he had approached and headed into his room. He could no longer hear the chattering but their voices seemed to ring in his ears regardless. His tutor's words bothered him a lot more than he expected. He felt trapped and tired, and _jaded_.

A break. . . he needed a _break _from it all.

Unable to take it any longer, he pulled up his address book in his digital watch device and called Safu's number. Images flickered out of the device and Safu's face popped up seconds later. She raised a quizzical brow.

"Safu, would you like to meet up for some dinner?"

Her expression didn't change but she agreed nonetheless. Shion exchanged directions with her and decided to walk the distance. Normally, his chauffeur drove him around but he felt like taking a walk.

It was sunny outside but the gentle cool breeze made it overall a lovely day. Shion walked on the pavements, hearing the noise of passing cars on the road and voices of other pedestrians. It was just another day in No. 6.

When Shion made it to the restaurant, he found Safu sitting inside on a table near the far window. She spotted him then and waved with a smile. He walked up to her, greeting her with a brief hug. After he pulled away, she eyed him up and down and he blinked at the attention.

"What?"

"Look at you, Mr. Fancy Pants," she teased, her brown eyes flickering with mirth.

Shion glanced down at his tan slacks and white button up dress shirt. Personally, he thought he just looked semi-casual, but when he looked over at Safu, he saw her point. Unlike his semi-formal clothing, she was wearing the total opposite. She wore a light sweater that was a lilac color and showed off her creamy shoulders and a denim skirt with white high socks and matching flats. She looked every bit like a civilian and nothing like the high official's daughter that she was.

"I didn't think to change before," he said, giving a sheepish shrug of his shoulders.

Safu rolled her eyes but a smile was on her lips. "How were the lessons with Ms. Pumpkin?"

'Ms. Pumpkin' was a nickname Safu designated to Shion's home tutor. When Shion had questioned her about it, she had said it was because the woman had a plump face and her hair that was always tied up on top of her head looked like the wooden stump of a pumpkin.

Even if Safu's observations were fairly accurate, Shion had chided her for her cruel comments. He knew forehand what it was like to get comments on one's physical appearance. He had white hair and pale red eyes after all.

"I wish you wouldn't call her that."

Safu looked over at him from her seat, her observant eyes watching him. Sometimes, he felt like he couldn't keep anything from her with those sharp-eyed brown eyes of hers. "You're a good looking guy, you know," she said bluntly then, taking Shion off guard.

"_Safu._."

The brunette grinned, tilting her head the slightest to the side. At that moment, their waiter appeared and started them off with drinks. Shion ordered a soda, and Safu ordered pink lemonade. When the waiter left, Shion turned his attention back to his friend. "How are things with your father?"

Safu shrugged, fiddling with the silver chained necklace around her neck. "Busy as usual. We'll probably be inviting your family over for dinner sometime soon. Political purposes." She raised a brow.

It wasn't a secret that both Shion's and Safu's father were hoping their kids would tie the knot. In their high political positions, it was almost natural that they would want their kids to be married to families of the same. While Shion and Safu were good friends, he wasn't sure he wanted their relationship to turn into something of that magnitude. Safu was very dear to him but he had to admit to himself that he had never really looked at her in that sort of light. She was just Safu, his childhood friend – the tomboyish girl he saw getting into fights with other boys when they picked on her in elementary.

"Ah," Shion mumbled, finding himself wondering what _she_ thought about their situation. Safu was anything but modest but even she hadn't said anything on the matter.

"My father has been talking about you a lot recently. How you're a good boy, you know, the works," she said offhandedly.

Shion bristled a bit then. It was almost as if she had read his mind. "Oh. . ." He replied lamely.

Safu smiled at his reaction. Her shoulders straightened then as she leaned forward a bit in her seat. Eyelids lowering a bit, she gave him a pensive look.

"We're only seventeen and they're already hinting at marriage for us. Can you believe that?"

Shion could believe _that_. He knew first hand. His father had given him 'the talk' about it a couple weeks back; it had consisted of talk on good future marriageable brides, and sexual advice that Shion could have done without. It had just about been the most uncomfortable twenty minutes in Shion's life.

Their waiter appeared and placed down their drinks before asking for their orders. Shion stuck with something simple such as beef teriyaki while Safu ordered a dish off their specials menu. When the waiter left, Shion took a sip of his soda, noticing then that Safu was still staring at him almost with an expectant look.

_Right_.

"It wouldn't bother me." When Shion looked at her clueless, she continued, "If our parents pressured us to get a union."

At this point, Shion just about choked on his drink. Safu looked worriedly on as the white haired male coughed and beat a hand on his chest awkwardly to swallow down the beverage stuck in his throat.

_Smooth, Shion._ He chided himself mentally.

Safu looked mildly annoyed. He didn't blame her for it.

"Sorry," he said apologetically. "I honestly haven't given the idea much thought."

It was the truth, too. Then again, most seventeen year olds didn't think about marriage seriously.

Safu stared at him a bit longer before giving a small sigh. Her lips twitched upwards into a small smile, and Shion knew he was forgiven. Safu was his closest and only friend so he'd hate to have her upset with him. It wasn't easy to develop friendships with someone in his position. Every now and then he'd come across someone who just wanted to use him for his father's power. At times, he _hated_ his status.

His hand drew up to his neck, tracing and remembering. Sometimes, he still remembered the pain that had spread throughout his body like an inferno. . .

"Shion."

Shion snapped out of his daze and looked over to where Safu was sitting. One of her brows was furrowed and her pink lips were pursed. She worried about him, he knew, almost as much as his mother did. She was true and a dear friend, he knew this much, too.

"But, I would pick Safu over the other girls," he admitted then.

That much was true.

Safu's brown eyes widened the slightest in surprise before she smiled, her cheeks glowing faintly. She was beautiful, and Shion should have felt lucky.

But he just felt apathetic about it all.

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><p>~xx;~<p>

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><p>"Are you sure you don't want me to walk you home?" Shion asked, concerned.<p>

"Nah, I can handle my own. I'd worry about yourself," she teased, snickering when an embarrassed look came across Shion's face. It wasn't a secret that he hardly knew how to fight, let alone defend himself.

He waved to Safu as she strolled away and sighed to himself afterwards. The night was a bit chilly and he wished he had worn a sweater instead of his short-sleeved shirt. Slipping his hands in the pockets of his slacks, he walked down the pavements, glancing up at the sky briefly. It was quiet and the full moon lit up the sky beautifully. For some reason, he had the strongest urge to yell out loud, with no one outside to hear him.

_I could just imagine what the news lines would say if I got caught making a spectacle of myself. Father would have a fit._ Shaking his head, Shion headed down an alley that was an easy shortcut to the way home. His shoes made a soft clattering sound underneath his soles as he walked and his thoughts trailed.

"Well, look what we've got here. It's some big class boy in our dumpy parts."

Shion froze, turning around sharply to find two older men standing behind him. One had their arms crossed while the other tapped what appeared a gun in his palm, both looking quite menacing.

Shion was a smart boy and like most smart people he knew when you were held at gunpoint you gave up whatever was asked. Only a stupid person would fight back.

"What do you want?" He was surprised at how even his voice came out. Inside, his heart was pounding heavily in his chest.

The two men snickered and it was a raspy, low sort of chuckle. Shion stood his ground, eyes flickering from back and forth from the two men, observing.

"I bet you have a lot of money on your e-cards – but, no, I bet you're _worth_ even more than that."

Shion took a step back without even thinking about it, and the loud sound of a gun going off echoed loud in his ears, almost popping his ear drums. A low gasp escaped his lips as he crashed into the ground and pain throbbed throughout his entire body like burning flames. He noted the damage then. A bullet shot to his shoulder, nothing big. He was sure they hadn't hit a bone or anything major like that at the least but it didn't stop the injury from stinging.

He felt hands pulling him up and he hissed in pain, shutting his eyes tight. Today was just getting to be worse and worse for him.

Suddenly then, he heard the groaning sound of a male and felt a strong whoosh of wind with a quick spinning motion. The hands on him were gone and just as he was turning around, Shion caught sight of a figure doing a spinning kick and knocking out the other man. Shion's breath caught in his throat.

"Um," he started. "Thank you for your assistance - " He then found himself slammed into the brick wall with the sharp edge of a knife pressing against his throat.

"Who said I was helping you?" A deep masculine voice murmured with a hint of derisiveness in his tone.

Shion made a mental note to never take this alley _ever_ again. He tried to hold back the swallow he had an urge to do and instead held still, breathing slowly despite the racing in his chest. The other male was wearing a hooded jacket and it was dark so he couldn't really make out much of his features aside from the curve of lips and glint of light eyes.

"How much do you want?" Shion asked, without trepidation. He felt the edge of the knife press more against his neck and bit his tongue to prevent himself from wincing.

"You high official brats sure are full of yourselves."

The pressure was released on Shion's form and he saw the male pull away, swinging the knife's blade back into its hilt. The white haired male's fingers slipped up to his neck, feeling wetness gather at his fingertips.

"Regardless," Shion replied. "I owe you."

He could see the male's head turned in his direction.

"_My_ payment doesn't come cheap, your Majesty," the other male drawled.

Shion shook his head. "I can afford it," he said unwittingly.

A low chuckle came from the other male. It was a smooth, deep sound that made Shion wonder how much older the other was than him. Certainly, he had to be at least twenty-one? Shion wished he could at the least see the other's masked face.

"Of course." Definitely a mocking tone, Shion heard. "Be ready to pay up when I demand since you're so damn eager to throw out money."

Shion's lips parted to say something but the other was _strutting_ away in a casual pace. He found himself running after the other male, turning around the corner of the alley as he spotted the other's form a few steps ahead. "_Wait_! I'm Shion, what's your name?"

The other paused shortly. For a second, Shion thought he would ignore him and continue walking; instead, the other male whipped his head back, looking over his shoulder at Shion. "Nezumi."

_Nezumi? _

That was it. That was all Shion got before the mysterious stranger walked away leaving Shion by himself again. Not having anything else to do, Shion turned and made his way home.

He avoided the alley, of course.

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><p>~xx;~<p>

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><p>His mother, Karan, was home when he walked in. Shion pulled up his collar to hide the markings on his neck from her overly protective eyes and quickly headed up the stairs, calling out to her from on top. He made sure to keep the side that showed his blooded shoulder from her view. "Hi, mom."<p>

"Shion, I was worried when you would be home. Are you hungry?"

Shion merely shook his head. "I just had dinner with Safu."

Karan's eyes widened then before a smile came across her lips. "I see. How is she doing?"

"Fine," he answered. "I'm going to head up to bed now, mom. I'll see you in the morning."

His mother nodded and left him be despite his quite short responses. Shion felt pretty crummy knowing she was watching him unbeknownst to what had happened to him today. His mother worried enough over things and he didn't want to burden her anymore. She had her hands full with his father as it was.

When he reached his room, he locked the door behind him with the computer keypad, and immediately fell onto his bed tiredly. He stared up at the ceiling briefly before he held up his fingers and spotted the caked blood on them. He slipped to his feet then and reached out to grab the self-medic aid kit he had in his bathroom. He wasn't a doctor or surgeon but he knew the basic principles that he had learned from his anatomy e-books. First an anesthesia shot then he'd have to take out the bullet by using a scalpel. The worst thing that could happen was it could get infected.

_Focus, focus. . ._ Shion injected himself with the needle, waiting a bit for the liquid to kick in and numb his shoulder. When he felt his shoulder numb, he held the scalpel in his right hand and got to work. Luckily, he was ambidextrous, so even if he had been shot in his right shoulder he would have been able to treat himself. He managed to get the bullet out and worked on sewing the wound. Like everything else, it wasn't easy with just one hand but he managed to do the deed.

After Shion was done, he was tired and sore and wanted nothing more than to collapse on his bed. He headed to the mirror to check himself. Most of the time, he avoided looking into the mirror, for obvious reasons.

He saw someone else stare back at him; someone with snowy white hair and pale red eyes. His eyelids lowered as he traced the cut on his neck, seeing faint dry blood on his slightly tanned skin. He rubbed almost viciously at his neck then, ignoring the throbbing pain that came with it. With the powder rubbed off, he could see the faded pink markings that coiled around his neck.

He knew the comments others said. Why the odd hair color? Why the odd eye color? They couldn't possibly know nor could they possibly ever understand.

Shion walked away from the mirror, falling back face down onto his bed. It was warm and soft but cold. He could still hear the low whispers echoing in his ears.

It took all his might not to scream into his pillow.

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><p>~xx;~<p>

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><p><strong>AN: **Anyone want me to even continue this? xD;


	2. Chapter two

**A/N: **All I can say is: wow! I got such wonderfully nice feedback from you readers and I can't possibly thank you enough! But, yes, thank you to: _Fuyuki-san, moniqe007, WakeToSanity, Z3xi0n Ll4m4,_ _Niha-chan,_ _Aniki-xvi, whitetear, mangaromance, x-Earl-Ciel-Phantomhive-x, Tomoyo-chan284, Crazy-yaoi fangirl28, SoLeo _

Here's the next chapter you all asked for and I hope you enjoy it as much as the first. (: You'll notice (if you haven't already, that is) that I have inserted some canon themes from the novels/anime into this story. I won't insert everything though, and if I do they'll be tweaked around. Yeah, you'll see. xP

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><p><strong><span>Empire State of Mind<span>**

_**Chapter Two**_

_**.**_

The next morning Shion felt sore, and it felt like someone had shot him in his shoulder.

_Oh, right. _Shion rolled off his injured shoulder and spotted the bandage around his left shoulder soaking in blood. Sighing, the young male slipped off his bed and headed into the bathroom where he disinfected and re-bandaged his wound. Afterwards, he slipped on a light blue colored light sweater and kicked on some tan slacks.

His mother was downstairs for a change, cooking breakfast. An aroma of chocolate and bread filled Shion's nose, and he smiled. She was cooking chocolate chip pancakes – his favorite.

"Mom," he greeted with a kind smile as he headed into the kitchen.

Karan smiled back at him and she kissed him on the cheek tenderly. Her short brown hair was pulled back in a light colored bandana, and her apron had some chocolate stains on it. "Take a seat, Shion. Breakfast will be done in a few minutes."

Shion took a seat on the kitchen table. He tried not to move his left shoulder too much, least he re-open his sewed up wound. The hardest part probably would be schooling his pain. Unlike his father, his mother was as much a mother hen as she was observant. If he were to show even the slightest sign of discomfort, she would be onto him faster than he would say: 'mom, I'm fine.'

The pain was still there but it wasn't as intensely uncomfortable as it had been yesterday. He had spent almost all of the night staring at the ceiling and waiting for the pain medication to kick in, and even then it hadn't assuaged the pain much.

Shion rested his elbows on the table, relaxed. "Mom, is Father at work already?"

Karan hummed and shook her head as she flipped over a pancake in the frying pan with her spatula. "No, he had to go to work early in the morning." _Figures_, Shion thought to himself. "Elbows off the table, Shion," his mother chided softly then.

Shion did as he was told, schooling back a wince of pain that shot through his shoulder. When his mother was turned away, did he finally allow the grimace to show if only for a brief moment.

"He expects you to join him at the office this afternoon, however." Karan added, walking over to Shion and placing four pancakes on his empty plate. Shion eyed them before looking up at her. "You're a growing boy, Shion and thus you need to eat more."

It was a surprise Shion was as slender as he was considering how much his mother fed him. Contrary to popular belief, Shion actually did eat somewhat big portions of food. Like everyone else in the richer parts of No. 6, everyone had their money means of acquiring large portions of food, and Shion's family was most definitely better off than everyone else. In all honesty, Shion probably would have had more money on his person if he wasn't so compelled to handing out almost half of his weekly pay-checks to those of lesser fortune. His father didn't condone such random acts of kindness but his mother encouraged him, for she too did the same with her small bakery business.

Shion nodded his assent and used his fork in his right hand to cut up and eat his pancakes. They were, of course, delicious. The thin bread felt warm, and the chocolate chip pieces melted in his mouth. Karan was known for being a wonderful cook, and even though it wasn't necessary for her to have a job to support, she had one anyways. Shion got the feeling his father only begrudgingly allowed Karan to have said job because it obviously made her happy.

When he was done with his pancakes, Shion felt both full and satisfied. "Thanks for the pancakes, mom," he said gratefully, placing his plate in the sink and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. She smiled and shooed him away, telling him he was going to be late for the work meeting.

Shion slipped on his shoes and called out a goodbye to his mother before heading out the front door. His driver was waiting for him and tipped his hat when Shion greeted him.

_It looks like I won't have the luxury of walking today_, Shion thought to himself in slight amusement.

While they drove, he turned on his wrist watch device and flipped on the news channel. A male voice reported the weather and most recent news. It was dull but Shion liked to know what was going on in his city; his mind craved the information.

"Have a pleasant day, Shion-sama," the driver said, tipping his hat again as Shion stepped out of the expensive vehicle. Shion smiled and headed into his father's building. It was by far one of the biggest buildings in No. 6, made of the finest material and glass.

It was flaunting money and status, and Shion didn't like it but, once, when he had said something on the matter, his father had given him quite the rebuking that his ears had burned.

Hiroshi was at the front desk speaking with the secretary. Unlike all the other workers, Hiroshi was the second to youngest in the building. He was twenty-four but almost as work-oriented as his father. While the others were far too formal with Shion, Hiroshi was more or less like an informal acquaintance of Shion's. Shion liked the male enough and his interestingly bright red colored hair like flames made Shion feel a little less like an oddball. Almost everyone else in No. 6 had pale, average colored hair like brown or black, nothing like Shion's pale white hair or Hiroshi's vibrant red locks.

"Shion-san," the red-haired male greeted with a smile.

Shion gave him a polite bow and returned the smile. "Is my Father busy with a meeting at the moment?"

"Yeah, but he'll be done in a bit," was Hiroshi's casual response. While the other older workers spoke to Shion formally, Hiroshi spoke to him with an air of informal friendliness that Shion didn't mind one bit.

Shion decided to wait by his father's office and said a small goodbye to Hiroshi before walking down the clear hallway. It smelled of crisp pine, clean and bland. Shion ran a hand through his hair and stopped as he approached the office door. He could hear muffled voices through the door of his father and another man. When he listened carefully, he recognized the voice as Orochi's, Safu's father.

"How much longer are we going to deal with that..._inferior_ part of our city? No. 6 should be flourishing!"

"And flourishing it is, but even the most prominent cities have their middle grounds."

"This is not middle-ground…this is filth, Ambassador-san. Imagine how bad it makes our city look. We received visitations from other officials from other cities and the first thing they see is beggars!"

Shion jumped then when he heard his name being called. He turned around sharply to see the secretary, blinking at him and holding a folder in her grasp. "If you could give this to your father when he's finished, I'd appreciate it." She smiled.

At this point, the white haired male felt embarrassed at being caught eavesdropping and took the folder from her. The secretary walked away afterwards, her heels clicking in the hallway. Shion's face held a pensive expression as he glanced down at the folders in his hands. Once he had made up his mind, he walked back down the hallway and ran into Hiroshi on the way out.

"Shion-san, where are you going?"

"I forgot to do something before I left this morning. Can you hand this to my father and tell him I will be running late?"

Hiroshi's brown eyes looked at Shion suspiciously, and for a split second Shion thought that Hiroshi was going to turn him down. The older male merely sighed then, nodding his head but kept watching Shion intently.

Shion felt Hiroshi's eyes on his back even as he walked out the front doors.

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><p>~xx;~<p>

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><p>Shion opened up his online banking and checked the amount. He could afford to spend a little more than half of his paycheck this week. With a smile, the male got on the train, paying the toll and trying to ignore the wide eyes on him. In No. 6, everyone knew him, of course, and thus wherever he went he got stares. It was a little unnerving.<p>

Shion took a seat near the back of the train, glancing out the window at the passing scenery. It had been quite a long while since he had been in No. 7, the adjoining city to No. 6. It was considered 'the Lost City' to everyone in No. 6. A lot of it was in ruins and unlike the distinguished, No. 6, No. 7 was a poor city.

It was also a very interesting city to Shion.

About fifteen minutes later, Shion stepped out of the train and headed down the streets. As he walked, the feelings of remembrance filled his mind. There was the spot where he had his first squid and there was the spot where. . . He froze then, seeing the small park and the same wooden bench near the oak tree. It felt like a stinging sensation ran down Shion's body and he swallowed heavily, shaking his head.

He continued walking in the small city, passing by small shops, and food and goods stands. Here, no one knew him by the Ambassador's son and thus he was free to roam without eyes following his every move. Of course, still, some people did stare but only because of his hair color and not because of his status; although he was sure his clothing attracted some of that attention as well. He wished he had changed before he left.

Shion walked into the quieter parts of the market place. So dazed in his thoughts was he that he didn't notice someone grabbing and tugging him into an alley until it was too late. He staggered in his footing, taken off guard completely and found his back pressed against a brick wall.

_Another alley?_ He mused wryly.

This time around it appeared to be a woman who had blindsided him, however. She had long dark wavy hair that stopped at her waist and was dressed in a low cut simple dress that clung to her well-developed curves. Shion stiffened in surprise when she brushed her fingertips caked with slight dirt across his cheek.

"Excuse—" Shion was cut off, eyes wide when the woman covered his mouth with hers, pressing her body against his. He could feel her soft body against his, pressed firmly. When he felt her tongue press forcefully against his closed lips, he forced himsellf to the side, stumbling a bit.

His heart thundered in his chest and he resisted the urge to wipe at his mouth with his sleeves. The sound of another voice made him stop in his tracks then.

"Forcing yourself on another unexpected passerby, Tomiko?"

The woman clucked her tongue before replying in a caustic tone, "I have to make my earnings somewhere, _Nezumi_."

Shion turned around sharply, holding in a breath as he spotted the other male. Unlike their first meeting, this time the male was no longer wearing a hooded jacket and instead a simple short black one. He had raven colored hair that was tied up with some loose strands framing his sharply chiseled face, and the most interesting pair of grey colored eyes like mirrors.

Shion gaped like a fish and Nezumi stared at him blankly. Only seconds later, when recognition appeared to kick in did Nezumi raise a brow at Shion, regarding him with his grey colored eyes.

"Whatever, that kiss will be one silver coin," the woman said, holding her hand out towards Shion.

Shion stared at her hand confused. His mind went into overdrive. She was charging him for a kiss she _forced_ on him?

"I'm sorry," he said almost sheepishly. "I don't have any actual coins on me but my e-cash."

This appeared to catch her attention as her eyes darted to the expensive device on Shion's wrist that no one else in the city sported. He wished then he hadn't worn it here either. He was sticking out like a sore thumb way too much now.

Once realizing that Shion did indeed have money, and a lot at that, the woman decided to step up her game. "Well," she hummed. "We can find a card reader around here, and then I can indulge you some more for. . . a higher cost, of course." She licked her red lips making them glisten behind her slightly white teeth as she fidgeted with the straps of her dress.

Shion stared dumbfounded still. He probably would have continued to stare dumbfounded had Nezumi not stepped in at that moment. "Oi, don't overwhelm the kid."

Tomiko glared at them then, crossing her arms under her chest. "I don't hand out my services for free," she hissed, eyes narrowing.

Nezumi made a low sound under his breath before walking over to her. Shion watched wide-eyed as Nezumi claimed the woman's mouth in what appeared a passionate kiss. Seconds later, Nezumi pulled away all composed and calm regardless of what he had just done. "Debt repaid," he said nonchalantly, before walking away from the now dazed woman.

Shion ran after Nezumi, calling his name. Nezumi didn't once falter in his casual walk but luckily Shion still caught up with him. He was a little out of breath, however, and tried to catch his breath.

"You stand out like someone with white hair."

Considering Shion _did_ have white hair, he took Nezumi's comment as an insult. _Well, at least he's not asking why I have white hair, _Shion thought, his lips turning downwards. That was a whole other story.

"I didn't think I'd run into you this soon again."

Nezumi shrugged, and Shion looked back curiously then. "Who was that by the way, that woman? Someone you know?" Shion asked.

"She's a prostitute," Nezumi said flatly.

Shion's head hurt. The irony of her name was not lost on him.*

"What are you doing here, _your Majesty_? I figured you high officials scorned second-rate places like this."

The way Nezumi said 'your Majesty' was so mocking and scornful that Shion found himself frowning. He didn't know why the other appeared to dislike him so much. Was it just because he had money? Shion didn't think that was quite fair.

"Shion," he corrected with a sigh. "And I just wanted to see if it had change. I haven't been here since I was about twelve."

"You picked a hell of a time for a visit."

Shion gave a pensive pause before looking up at Nezumi. They hadn't faltered once in their walk. Nezumi seemed the type to always be on the run, he noted. "Have you considered your repayment yet?" He asked, blinking.

Nezumi did stop then and gave Shion a sharp look, his grey eyes hard like daggers. It was as if the other wasn't sure if Shion was mocking him. Shion found himself staring back, a bit entranced. _Mirrors. . ._

When Nezumi appeared to realize Shion wasn't mocking him, he snorted. "I didn't know you were such a Philanthropist, _Shion_." The name rolled off Nezumi's tongue in his smooth and richly deep voice. It was a kind of voice a male singer would kill to have.

"I'm not," Shion mumbled, averting his eyes. While he liked to help people, he never did consider himself as generous or loving. He hardly ever amounted to words of such a magnitude. "But I was raised to always repay debts."

Nezumi was staring at him when Shion dared to look up again. His expression wasn't quite as sharp as before, however, if only the slightest. The raven haired male looked away then, a breeze blowing in and moving his hair in a gentle movement. Shion noted the other male was handsome in a completely objective way; it was impossible not to notice. Even now, passing by women and men alike glanced Nezumi's way. He more than likely didn't care nor notice.

"I'll think of something. In the meantime, bid your time as I do."

Shion blinked, surprise coming across his features. Obviously it wasn't money Nezumi desired otherwise he would have asked for a large sum by now and be done with it. But then, what did the other male want? Shion couldn't fathom an answer.

"Nezumi-san. . ."

Nezumi turned away and continued his casual, unhurried walk. Shion scrambled after him. "Where are you going?" He looked up at the male awaiting his answer.

The raven haired male didn't answer right away and Shion almost thought he wouldn't. "To ascertain information," he answered finally.

Nezumi didn't offer for Shion to tag along, but he also didn't tell Shion he couldn't. In the end, Shion decided to tag along regardless.

* * *

><p>~xx;~<p>

* * *

><p>"Puppies," Shion chirped, playing with one of the baby golden haired dogs. It waved its tail cheerfully at Shion, enjoying the gentle ear rubs it was receiving from the white haired boy. Eventually, the two others got jealous and decided to jump onto Shion for his attention. He laughed in response, his face brightening as he divided his attention amongst the puppies.<p>

Nezumi watched from his distance, wanting to groan at the boy's response.

_So hopeless, _he mused to himself. It was a strange sight to see a No. 6 upper class associate with the lower class and even more to appear to enjoy himself. If there was anything stranger, Nezumi sure as hell didn't want to know.

"A new plaything of yours, Nezumi?" Inukashi jerked his head in Shion's direction, a sneer coming across his darkly tanned face.

"Hardly."

Inukashi gave a hearty laugh that was mocking, and Nezumi ignored the irritation that bubbled inside him from Inukashi's jeering tone. The other was always like that, and thus Nezumi had become quite accustomed despite not liking it.

"Have you heard any recent news?" Nezumi questioned, leaning back against the barn wall, one leg crossed over the other.

Inukashi snorted. "Everything is being kept pretty hush-hush about No. 6, but why do you need my help when you obviously have one of their own in your grasp?"

Nezumi darted a glance over at Shion who was still playing with Inukashi's puppies and laughing such a carefree laugh. It made Nezumi question if the boy really was a high official's son from No. 6, but then he reminded himself of the boy's expensive watch device, clothing and frivolous way of offering money.

"He's such an odd boy, and even his appearance is odd," Inukashi said offhandedly.

Nezumi found himself agreeing silently. He turned around then and began to make his walk away when Inukashi called out to him about payment. The raven haired male stopped shortly, looking over his shoulder. "You didn't tell me anything I didn't already know," he replied curtly.

"You _bastard_."

Nezumi ignored Inukashi's sudden loud growling and cursing and headed over to where Shion was. The boy was now standing to his feet, glancing over at him curiously as he watched Inukashi, whom appeared to be an acquaintance of Nezumi's, fume in the background. The exchange was lost on him.

"Nezumi-san?"

"Stop with the damn _san_. It's annoying."

Shion blinked, wide pale red eyes glancing up at him. Nezumi shouldn't care but he found himself wondering regardless just why the kid had white hair and red eyes. From what he could tell, Shion's eyes were real but his hair was another story. The idea of someone actually purposely dying their hair white didn't hold very good reasoning either.

It was a surprisingly beautiful white, regardless.

"Nezumi," Shion said then, as if testing the name without the formal suffix.

Nezumi resisted the urge to roll his eyes. There was a loud beeping sound then, and he watched as Shion rushed to turn on his wrist device. A squared hologram appeared with a face of a young glaring girl.

"Shion! Where are you?" She demanded, crossing her arms and tapping her fingers on her arms.

It was almost amusing seeing Shion stumble over his words then. "Er. . ."

"Your father called my father asking if you were with me because you had been missing since lunch time! Do you know how much trouble you're in? Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"Well, I—"

"Get your butt home, _now_!"

Before Shion could even get in a word or two, Safu ended the call and Shion was stuck staring at the blank hologram.

Nezumi wanted to mockingly tease Shion on his way with girls but then Shion was dusting himself off and turning off his device. "I better head home," he mumbled and frowned a bit.

Nezumi said nothing and when Shion looked back up at him, he smiled. "I hope to see you again, Nezumi-sa. . ._Nezumi_." The correction was noted dully. Shion turned his attention to Inukashi in the background, and he waved and called out enthusiastically, "Bye Inukashi-san!"

Inukashi merely snorted in response, crossing his arms.

Shion was running away in a hurried pace then. Nezumi spared his retreating form a glance before looking away.

* * *

><p>~xx;~<p>

* * *

><p>Shion got the scolding of a lifetime when he finally got home. It was nightfall but that wasn't what set his father off.<p>

"How irresponsible of you, Shion! Skipping our work meetings and without a word to anyone of you whereabouts. Do you realize how worried sick your mother and I were?"

Shion ducked his head down and averted his eyes. "I'm sorry."

"Where were you?" His father demanded, nostrils flaring in anger.

Shion evaded the question. "Nowhere important."

"_Shion_." There was a definite warning tone in his father's voice at that moment. When the older man began to slowly approach Shion, he feared the worst. His mother stepped in then.

"Dear, please," she pleaded, holding her hands up to her chest. "Shion is a young boy and you know how adventurous young boys are."

"Too adventurous," his father spat. "For a week I expect you to do nothing but go to work and then come home, Shion. You are _not_ permitted to leave the house otherwise."

Shion's eyes widened then. "That's unfair!" he cried out, unable to help himself.

"_Quiet_! You're fortunate I don't bend you over the table and give you the beating you deserve after this little stunt!"

Shion's ears burned and he turned around, going upstairs and locking himself in his room. He heard the hard pounding on the door and his father's loud booming voice ordering him to open up but Shion ignored him. Instead, the male turned on his radio and allowed the smooth, mellow music of the piano echo in his room, blocking out any other unwanted noise.

Certainly, there had to be more to life than this.

He allowed himself to fall back onto his bed, placing the back of his hand up to his head as he closed his eyes. He let the strumming of the piano and violins become his focus.

When the throbbing in his head stopped, Shion sat up and dialed Safu's number. She answered on the second ring and still looked a bit peeved at him even after he apologized to her for causing her trouble.

"You're going back aren't you? Back to wherever it is you went today."

Shion nodded and Safu sighed. "But you're not going to tell me where it is you went, am I right." It wasn't a question.

"I'm sorry."

"No, you're not," Safu replied, making Shion go silent. "Just promise me you'll be careful, Shion."

"I promise," he said sincerely.

Safu's lips quirked upwards and she tilted her head to the side then. "How bad was your punishment?"

Shion sighed then. He was almost hoping he could forget. "Terrible, I'm grounded for a week. Maybe longer now."

The brunette gave a pensive pause then, pursing her lips a bit. The expression was then replaced with an almost playful one. "You owe me dinner after all this. I want to be wined and dined big time."

Shion saw no reason not to tease back. "Are you _blackmailing_ me, Safu?"

"Maybe." Her brown eyes gleamed mischievously as a small smile came across her lips. Shion didn't notice the date implications of her words or if he did he brushed them off, thinking he was imagining things.

He chuckled before looking out his window then. He wouldn't be able to see Nezumi for a week. He couldn't help but wonder if the other male would actually come looking for _him_. The thought seemed ridiculous, however, so Shion brushed it away.

He talked a little longer with Safu before they both said their goodnights and ended the call. Shion closed the hologram and slipped off his bed, heading over to the balcony of his window. He swung open the window doors and rested his elbows on the wooden balcony. The sky was veiled in darkness but the star twinkled brightly in the sky like diamonds. He closed his eyes briefly and took a deep breath and released it.

Even No. 6 with its 'perfect' state wasn't paradise to him and it never would be.

A smile came across his lips then as he stared up at the sky. He invisibly traced out the figure of the constellation _Perseus_ in the sky with his finger.*

* * *

><p>~xx;~<p>

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **The scene with Shion, Nezumi and Inukashi may make it seem like Shion already knew Inukashi but that isn't the case. Due to the fact that the scene is in Nezumi's POV, it flows like that. Nezumi wouldn't care too much to pay attention to introducing the two so they'd probably have to do the task.

/Chapter notes:/

_*The irony of her name was not lost on Shion. - _The name Tomiko is Japanese for "wealth/fortune child."

*_Perseus_ – translates to "the hero." Perseus was the son of the Greek God Zeus and a mortal woman. He slewed Medusa and rescued a princess from being killed by a sea monster as a sacrifice by her own father.


	3. Chapter three

**A/N:** And we're here on chapter three. I have no idea how long this is going to be so don't ask? xD; Yeah, hopefully twenty chapters though! Normally it's the range my stories end up being. A big thanks to all my reviews from last chapter. I love you all.33

* * *

><p><strong><span>Empire State of Mind<span>**

_**Chapter Three**_

**.**

The Ambassador didn't make empty threats or, in this case, empty punishments. Shion tried not to sulk too much as he sat behind a desk doing paper work. He didn't remember the part of his punishment that included him doing twice his workload.

Hiroshi felt pity for him it appeared and looked up from his paperwork. "I can help if you'd like, Shion-san."

With a grateful smile, Shion shook his head. "Thank you, but I'd rather pay my dues." Not that he deserved said dues but. . . He sighed then and dropped his pen, stretching out his arms in front of him. He already felt the strain in his back and his fingers ached with overexertion.

The Ambassador walked in then and said in a brisk voice, "Shion, walk with me."

With no other choice, Shion got up to his feet and followed his father out the door. The two walked in silence down the hallway, and every now and then a passing by worker would greet them and his father would return the action. Shion merely flashed quiet smiles and then after the person was gone, the smile would drop. He bit his lip, flexing out his fingers at his side. They still hurt.

"Ambassador-san," the secretary greeted, holding out a folder to Shion's father. The older man paused taking the folder and Shion tried to ignore the none-too-subtle brush of fingers nor the way the younger secretary's cheeks colored. He felt ill to his stomach at that moment.

"Thank you, Midori-san."

She smiled and gave a departing bow before turning on her heels, red pumps clacking in the distance. She had to be only in her early twenties, maybe, late twenties at the most.

Completely dazed, Shion didn't catch his father trying to get his attention until his name was called thrice, impatient. "I'm sorry, what was that, father?"

"Pay attention," the Ambassador reprimanded, looking all the more impatient. He was never one to indulge Shion's often over-imaginative and quite air-headedness.

It was times like this that the lines blurred and Shion could only see 'the Ambassador' and not his father.

* * *

><p>~xx;~<p>

* * *

><p>Probably one of the most unfair parts of Shion's punishment was that he couldn't even go to visit his mother's bakery. For Shion's quiet nature, he got along very well with the younger kids that stopped by Karan's bakery. A particular favorite one was a little girl by the name of Lili. She was probably one of the cutest little girls Shion had ever seen and a sugary personality to go along with her cute face. Her mother cooed over Lili and spoiled her with treats. It wasn't hard to see that his mother adored the girl and Shion felt that, at times, his mother might have wanted a little sister for Shion. Shion didn't think he would have mind either but with how busy his father was he didn't see it happening.<p>

When Shion got home, he was beyond tired and felt like doing nothing more than collapsing on his bed. He settled for running a warm bath first. After turning on the warm water with the keypad, Shion slowly undressed himself. He was tired of wearing slacks and button up dress shirts. There were times that he wanted nothing more than to slip into jeans and a t-shirt, but sadly he hardly even owned _any_.

Shion stepped into the warm water, feeling the warmth un-tense the coils in his back. He rolled back his shoulders, trying to relax as he lay back in the tub. With a cloth, he rubbed at his skin, watching the powder wash off his neck and body. Even now, he tried to ignore the markings on his body – the faded pinkish colored scar that coiled around his entire body, ending only at the ankle of his left foot. It was ugly he knew, which was why he covered all of it with a special type of powder his father had gotten for him.

Shion crossed the line at dying his hair or getting colored eye contacts, however, for reasons he couldn't even comprehend himself. He would feel fake. He would feel like another listless official of No. 6.

He wet his fingers then and ran them through his snowy white strands of hair, letting them droop with the moisture. His device began to ring at that moment and he drew his hand back in front of his face, answering. It was waterproof, of course, so he settled for never taking off the thing.

Safu's face popped up in the hologram, smiling. It took only a span of a few seconds before her face went through a series of expressions: first surprise, second embarrassment, and finally, appall.

"_Shion_, did you answer the phone while you were _bathing_?" She shrieked, her cheeks coloring.

He blinked at her high-pitched tone. It wasn't very often he heard (or saw) Safu go off the handle. "You called, and it's not like you can see anything from this position." Except his face and his chest – anything lower was out of sight, thankfully.

Safu didn't look thankful at the least and she made this very clear by hanging up on him.

Shion stared at his device dumbfounded. Why was she so upset for? He couldn't understand it.

He pushed the thoughts away until he finished bathing. After he was done and dressed, he called Safu back. She answered a little later than she normally did and that irritated Shion even more. Was he so wrong for answering her call? He thought it was being polite for him to do so.

Safu's cheeks were still red when she answered, and he couldn't help but notice she had a hard time meeting his eyes.

"I'm sorry about earlier." He apologized even without knowing what he actually was apologizing for. It seemed to do the part whatever the case.

Safu rolled her eyes, meeting his gaze then, her face annoyed. It made Shion feel a bit better. Whatever discomfort was between a few seconds ago, appeared to be gone for the moment.

"Your family is having dinner with us later today. I thought I'd give you a heads up," she said.

"Ah, I'll see you later then?"

Safu smiled and nodded. Their call ended a few seconds later with them exchanging a few more words. Afterwards, Shion fell back onto his bed and released a heavy breath of air. He touched his wounded arm, feeling the stitches still in place. He wondered if his father would have been proud to know how Shion had managed to not only get out a bullet but sew up the wound as well.

He closed his eyes then and felt the afterglow of the warm bath relax his body. He still had some time before his father would be home and they would have to leave to Safu's house. He could afford a small nap.

* * *

><p>~xx;~<p>

* * *

><p>Not many people in No. 6 talked about dreams. Sometimes, Shion wondered if the people even had any, but the idea was ridiculous because it was common knowledge that <em>everyone<em> dreamed – everyday even, sometimes more than once a day. While Shion didn't enjoy the psychology subject he found some parts interesting such as the parts about dreams. The way the subconscious mind controlled them was interesting in itself.

Today's dream was a little different than Shion's typical dreams. For one, he was twelve again, and secondly, he was in No. 7.

Twelve year old Shion sat outside, finishing up a cherry snow cone as he waited. His father had told him not to wander far but his father wasn't there so Shion indulged his curious and adventurous mind.

Not too far from the shop there were three kids that looked to be Shion's age playing in the streets. There were two boys and a girl. The two boys consisted of one with short cropped brown hair while the other had raven colored hair that hung loose just above his shoulders. The girl had bouncy light brown locks of hair and like the others had a pale complexion. Shion approached them curiously, watching as they played with a small ball. His eyes watched in awe as one particular boy kicked up the beanie ball up in the air, doing an elegant spin and kicking it again with a backwards kick. The grace of the movement was almost like some sort of dance.

At this point, the others had noticed Shion staring and looked at him. He licked his lips, smiling at them with red colored lips from the food dye. The lone girl eyed his snow cone briefly. He looked down at it thoughtfully before holding it out. "Would you like it?" His childlike mind saw no inappropriateness in sharing with a complete stranger.

The two boys looked disgusted, however. "Why the heck would she want that?" One asked. His voice although boyish held a ring of maturity in it.

Shion's expression dropped and he blinked, taken off guard by the harsh response. The little girl, however, walked over to him and took his spoon, taking some of the snow cone in it and eating it without a pause. Her companions watched dumbfounded and Shion blinked as she smiled up at him, taking the spoon out of her mouth.

"Cute boys can't have cooties," she said, grinning before placing the spoon back in the cup as if nothing. When Shion offered her the rest of it, she took it gratefully.

"Airi, that's disgusting," the raven haired boy said, wrinkling his nose is disdain.

She stuck her red colored tongue at him, continuing to eat and seeming to mock him with exaggerated bites of her treat. Shion laughed then, and his brown bangs fell over his eyes. He made an attempt to brush them away, noticing the raven haired boy glaring at him then. He blinked, and the grey colored irises that stared back at him were cool and anything but friendly.

"You're not from around here are you?" The girl, Airi, asked, stabbing the plastic spoon in her cup.

Shion shook his head and she merely smiled and added, "I figured. You look different."

He didn't quite understand what she meant by this.

A ball went flying in between them then. Airi spun on her heels, her light locks bouncing with the movement. "_Takeshi_! Stop being a big jerk!"

The dark haired boy glared at her. "It was Kichirou, actually."

The boy that appeared to be named Kichirou gave a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry, sis."

She huffed and looked back at Shion who was watching the exchange in amusement. "Are you all related?" He asked curiously, tilting his head a bit to the side.

"Unfortunately," she answered with a wry smile. "Do you have any siblings?"

Shion shook his head. "I'm an only child," he answered. He doubted he'd ever get a sibling, too. When the girl said sarcastically how lucky he was, he didn't disagree with her even though he thought otherwise.

"Shi-chan!"

Shion turned around to see the lady at the shop waving at him. He felt his cheeks color at the cutesy nickname and tried to ignore the laughs in the background. He was a boy for _crying out loud_.

"Excuse me," he mumbled, turning around and running over to the lady. He felt eyes on his back the whole time. Unable to help himself, he turned and looked back.

The raven haired boy was watching him.

* * *

><p>~xx;~<p>

* * *

><p>When Shion woke up, he felt disoriented. He felt like he was still dreaming but when he glanced down at his body, he had the boy of a seventeen year old not a twelve year old.<p>

_Funny, it felt so real for a dream._

"Shion, we're leaving for Orochi-san's house in a few. Get ready now," his father's voice ordered through the door.

Shion felt a little light-headed as he slipped to his feet. He hoped it would pass in a few seconds. His pale purple shirt was slightly crinkled with wrinkles so he brushed his hand against the material. It was all he could do now. Absently, he patted down his hair before opening his door and heading downstairs.

His father was waiting in a dark colored suit, fixing his cuff impatiently. Something big was happening tonight. Shion's father only got this fidgety and impatient when a big event was going to happen. A feeling of dread came across Shion and he tried not to express his feelings.

As they got into their ride, Shion felt like the car ride was one of the longest in his life. He almost bluntly remarked to his father about his punishment and how that had changed but decided it would sound snarky instead of an obvious observation, and his father hated snarky remarks.

Like Shion's house, Safu's house was big as well. It was clean and tidy but plain nonetheless. There were no picture frames on the wall or brightly colored decor. Nothing but plain creamy colored walls and everything of the light colored spectrum.

"Shion, Ambassador-san." Safu greeted them with a bow.

It was hard for Shion not to stare. Safu was wearing a dress, and it was the first time he had ever seen her in such. It was a dark purple color that clung to her body, showing off her narrow waist and developing hips. When she noticed Shion staring, she averted her glance, fidgeting with the white lace on the dress.

"Ambassador-san, please enter. I imagine we have much to discuss but first, let me treat you and your son to dinner. My wife just cooked up a grand meal."

The Ambassador looked pleased. "I thank you for your kindness, Orochi-san."

Their table was long and wide, and Shion didn't know why they would need such a large table. Safu was an only child, too, and thus it was only the three of them in the house. Four if Safu's grandmother stayed over from the Twilight House.

Throughout the dinner, Shion and Safu exchanged looks that spoke volumes. Shion would give her a meaningful look that asked, 'what's going on here?' And Safu would sigh and shake her head as if to say, 'you don't want to know.'

When they had finished eating, they all sat in the living room. Both Shion and Safu's father chatted mindlessly about trivial things, and Shion wished they would get to the point already. After they continued to go at it for a few more minutes, finally, Shion cut in. "Father, what is this about?"

His father and Safu's father exchanged looks. Safu looked down, fists clenched in her lap.

"We've decided that a union between you and Safu would be best."

Shion felt as if his heart stopped in his chest for a split second. His throat felt dry and he swallowed then. "What?"

"You and Safu," his father repeated, slowly, as if it should have been obvious.

"When was _this_ decided?" Did his voice sound that high even to his own ear? Shion couldn't tell.

"Shion, don't be ridiculous. You know we've been planning for years now."

_No_, he wanted to argue. _You planned this, I didn't._

"I'm not being ridiculous!"

Orochi looked at Shion and then at his daughter. His mustache twitched as he spoke. "I was under the impression that you wouldn't marry another girl aside from Safu."

This caught Shion's attention. He froze and glanced over at Safu. She met his gaze briefly before looking down guilty. He knew she too was being just as pressured as he was in all of this.

"I did say that," Shion admitted, his shoulders dropping down. He couldn't very well deny it after all.

Safu stood up to her feet then. Shion watched as she grabbed his hand and pulled him up as well. "Excuse us, we're going to talk upstairs," she said, and pulled him away to her room.

Shion groaned and held a hand to his forehead. Safu was quiet for a bit and held her back to him. Finally, she turned to him, her expression unreadable despite it all. "This was bound to happen," was her nonchalant response.

"Yes, but I didn't think this _soon_."

"Shion, you find me attractive, right?"

The white haired male blinked, looking up to see Safu staring at him intently. His mind was a whirlwind of confusion at the moment. "Yes." In a completely objective way, Safu was indeed pretty.

She seemed to consider this before walking up to him. He stared as she stopped a few inches away from him, her face tilting upwards with a determined gleam in her eyes. "Kiss me," she demanded.

Shion was stunned. "_What_?"

"I said kiss me."

He continued to look at her dumbfounded, unmoving. When it appeared he wouldn't react, Safu grabbed onto the collar of his shirt and tugged down _hard_. Shion stumbled forwards, a gasp escaping his lips before the sound was covered by lips. Amidst it all, he couldn't help but notice that this kiss was different from the one the prostitute had given him. It was hesitant – a fleeting, soft press of lips. Safu pulled back then, her cheeks colored and her eyes so open that Shion felt terrible.

"Safu. . ."

"You didn't dislike that, right?"

Shion averted his gaze then. He hadn't disliked it or felt disgusted by it but. . . He hadn't felt _anything_ in it either.

After pressing a chaste kiss on Safu's forehead, he clasped her hand in his and pulled them both downstairs. Their fathers were both waiting for them. When they noticed the entwined fingers of their children, they seemed to relax a little.

Shion thought that maybe his hand was trembling and felt Safu's hand squeeze it.

* * *

><p>~xx;~<p>

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **You're seeing things if you think this chapter was shorter than the last – _completely seeing things_.

…Okay, you're not. This chapter was shorter than chapter two. I'll make it up to you all with a longer next chapter if you give me some super awesome reviews? Please?


	4. Chapter four

**Empire State of Mind**

_**Chapter Four**_

**.**

It was about the biggest thing Shion had ever seen in his life – in a ring that is. The diamond sparkled in the light and was perfectly cut and shaped with a thin golden band. Shion, himself, felt it was quite exaggerated but he knew nothing about women engagement rings. He shut the red velvet box, glancing up at his father who was gave his approval. His mother had something similar, but Shion knew she could have cared less for the carat size.

"Women are all about size, Shion," the Ambassador said, rubbing his fingers through his growing beard.

Ten carats seemed to be ridiculously big and the price that went along with it made Shion stare blankly at the shiny _rock_.

"Father, I—" Shion was cut off when his father smacked a hand on his back, playful but a little on the rough side. He spluttered, almost flailing as his father chuckled.

"I actually got married at your age myself. Ah, the memories."

Seventeen was awfully young to be getting married Shion thought. He wasn't too sure what to make of his situation. Everything seemed to be happening so fast.

He said nothing in response and the Ambassador added then, "Well, we better head off to work. Come along, Shion."

Shion followed, his shoulders hunching as he did so. He was still grounded, and the week never went by slower. Already three days and he hadn't seen Nezumi. He wondered if the raven haired male would be annoyed the next they saw each other.

_That's if you even see him again._

For whatever reason, this deflated Shion's mood even more.

"Ambassador-san, Shion-san." Their secretary smiled at them as they entered the building. She piled up some folders in her hands, straightening them on the desk.

Shion excused himself and headed to his personal office. The sooner he got to his paperwork then the sooner he could go home. The night before he hadn't gotten much sleep to begin with, so today he was feeling particularly sleepy. After about his fourth yawn in a time span of only twenty-minutes, Hiroshi, who had been working with him, left and came back with a cup of coffee. Shion thanked him and took it, eyeing it afterwards.

"I added about four teaspoons of sugar, and used French vanilla crème," Hiroshi said, looking like he wanted to roll his eyes but resisted. Instead, he played with his bright red bangs, and Shion knew Hiroshi enough to know the red-head only did it when he was a little annoyed.

Shion smiled and took a sip. It was sweet enough, and he could taste the crème on his tongue. He licked his lips then. "Mm."

Hiroshi snorted softly and got back to his paperwork at his desk. His movements were precise and practiced without missing a beat. Shion realized he was now stalling and got back to the work in front of him. He was hardly in the mood to do boring paperwork, however.

He bit his lower lip and then looked up. "Hiroshi-san," he called, waiting for a return response before continuing.

The red-head paused, his chocolate brown eyes flickering up from his desk. He tilted his head the slightest to his side – a movement that encouraged Shion to continue.

"Have you ever thought about getting married?"

Shion knew enough to know that Hiroshi, even in his twenty-four years, had yet to be married. While it wasn't an obligation, it was almost norm for most men approaching their late twenties to begin to settle down with a wife and children. In some cases, even younger, Shion noted wryly, reminding himself of his personal situation.

"Maybe. I haven't really thought about it into great detail." He shrugged, crossing his arms on the table as he leaned his weight forward a bit in his seat. A look of contemplation came across his face briefly before he looked back at Shion, a brow raised. "Why?"

"Just curious," the white haired male mumbled, looking down as he rolled his pen on his desk. He continued to be distracted even as he felt Hiroshi continue to stare at him for a few seconds more.

"Your father means well, I'm sure, Shion-san."

Shion resisted the urge to bite his lip again. At this rate, it was going to bleed, and a bleeding and torn lip was going to be terrible to deal with on top of everything else. He settled for a nod and took a much longer gulp of his coffee. It served its purpose for the most part. He felt quite awake now, but his left shoulder cramped and burned. He had been moving it a little too much in the past few days. Absently, Shion gently pressed the fingers of his right hand against his clothed left shoulder.

He thought about that chance meeting with Nezumi, and his punishment, and his pending engagement with Safu. When he had finally made up his mind about a decision, he set off on continuing his work. The sooner he finished, the sooner he could take action.

* * *

><p>~xx;~<p>

* * *

><p>When Shion got home, his body felt drained both mentally and physically. He forced down the drowsiness and settled himself on the couch, turning on his device. He checked the news, hearing details on the weather and other information. Overall, it appeared like it was going to be another lovely day, sun and all.<p>

The sound of a door sliding open brought Shion to his feet. His father entered, loosening his tie as he walked into the living room. His steps were a little more lethargic than normal. Now was as good a time as ever Shion realized. With that thought, he took a deep breath and spoke before he chickened out. "Father, I have a request concerning the engagement."

His father raised a brow, opening up the buttons to the top of his suit. He didn't falter even once. "And what is that?"

_It's now or never._ Shion shifted his footing, his stance firm. "I want to be able to visit No. 7 whenever I want. I'll agree with the engagement willingly if you allow me this. This disregards my punishment you have given me as well."

He probably would have agreed with the engagement regardless. It wasn't like he had much of a choice either way, and Safu was his best option he agreed, but his father didn't have to know this. He could use this to his advantage to the least.

The Ambassador's brow furrowed then, his lips thin. "Shion, that is _ridiculous_—"

"Give me five months. After five months, Safu and I will be married." Five, short months before he, too, would probably end up being another drone of No. 6. It scared him – downright frightened him even, but as long as he had some constant semblance of freedom then he would tolerate it. No.7 intrigued him. He felt drawn to the city, and when Shion felt drawn to something, he _had_ to follow it.

His father scratched his nose, pausing as he probably debated the sides of the argument. It was a win-win in either case, so Shion felt like he had nothing to lose. Except for, more or less, signing his life away but beggars couldn't be choosers.

_Considering you're the Ambassador's son that comment is quite contradictory_, Shion couldn't help but think.

"Alright, I agree although I can't see why you'd want to mingle with that that inferior city. I expect you and Safu to get to the planning immediately. Five months will fly by soon enough."

_Right._ Shion held back a grimace. He didn't think he'd enjoy wedding planning at any rate. He'd heard enough stories from the older married men at the office of how their wives had turned into what they called 'bridezillas.' Considering younger Safu had beaten up boys when upset, he got the bad feeling she would be worse.

Shion made a noise of agreement under his breath, and his father headed to the kitchen to grab a drink. He paused for a bit before realizing his father had agreed even to get rid of his punishment. He could leave. With that in mind, he grabbed his nearby tan coat and made his way over to the door. His father called out to him, stopping him.

"You agreed to my terms, father. I'm going to No. 7." Shion pointed out, looking back.

The Ambassador's lips were set in a firm line, obviously displeased. There was nothing more he could say, however. An agreement was an agreement and a business man like the Ambassador recognized as much. He merely went back into the kitchen, not saying another word to Shion.

Maybe, the cold shoulder was supposed to persuade Shion to think otherwise. Maybe, at that moment, something had changed in Shion's normal everyday routine.

The front door closed behind Shion.

* * *

><p>~xx;~<p>

* * *

><p>The train ride felt long. Maybe, it was because Shion had far too much on his mind that everything felt long. He imagined when he got home he would have to go over to Safu's house and ask for her hand in marriage even if they all knew what was planned. It was all show, and it made Shion feel even more like his whole life was planned out for him from beginning to end.<p>

When it was his stop, Shion stepped out of the train, glancing around as the town's people walked about in the cool afternoon. He walked forwards, heading into the city front where the shopping area was. He stopped when he heard a small squeak, barely audible throughout the busy noise of everyone else. Looking down, he blinked upon seeing the small light colored rat by his foot. Normally, Shion didn't see rats too often, and this one didn't seem afraid of him at all.

It stood up on its hind legs for a bit, dark beady eyes looking up at Shion before it dropped and turned, scurrying away._ Wait! _Shion thought, breaking into a dash after it. In the back of his mind he realized how foolish this was - running after a rat of all things, but like the city drew him, this rat did as well.

As he turned around the corner, he spotted the store that the rat had crawled into through a small hole in the side of the building. Shion entered the store through the front door then, red eyes darting around as he took in the many shelves filled with books of all kind. It had led him straight to a bookstore.

Shion spotted the rat then in a corner, and he knelt down, hands cupping in front of him as the rat jumped into his palms, whiskers flickering. "Is this where you wanted me to go?" he asked, talking to it as if it wasn't an animal.

The rat gave a chirping sound, and Shion got to his feet, still holding it in his hands. He heard the clatter of footsteps then, and he turned in surprise to find Nezumi staring at him with a book in his hand. The older male's silver eyes darted from Shion's face to the rat in his hands. The rat in Shion's hands made another small, squeaking noise before jumping out of Shion's hands and scurrying away.

"Somehow, I'm not surprised to see you playing with rats."

Shion realized the change in Nezumi's comment. Beforehand, he had always been mocked for being in No. 7 as well as associating with anyone in it because of his status, but it appeared Nezumi now realized that Shion wasn't the convention No. 6 official's son.

"Nezumi," Shion greeted, a smile spreading across his lips, and he couldn't believe the wash of relief and something like joy that came over him just by seeing Nezumi's face again. Had it been that long? It certainly felt like it.

"What are you doing back here?"

"I came to see you again," Shion answered, and the honesty of his response surprised even him. Beforehand, he had only been drawn to the intrigue of No. 7 in itself, but now it was Nezumi that drew him, like gravity.

Nezumi gave him a look, one that Shion couldn't really decipher. He said nothing further though, instead placing the book he held into the open slot on the bookshelf nearby.

"I didn't know you owned a bookstore," he mused, out loud.

"There's plenty of things you don't know about me," Nezumi replied back as a matter-of-factly. Shion tried not to be too fazed by the curtness and abruptness of Nezumi's words. But the reality of the comment made Shion frown inwardly. He didn't like that; he wanted to know more.

"Well," he started, wanting something to feed his curiosity of the older man in his presence. "Which book is your favorite?"

There was a good chance Nezumi wouldn't indulge him, would brush him off again like he almost always did. In all honesty, maybe Shion expected it, too, so he was pleasantly surprised when Nezumi answered him, but in a different way. He began to speak, lines that didn't sound so much rehearsed as spoken from the heart, following in his rich, deep voice:

_"And let me speak to the yet unknowing world_  
><em>How these things came about: so shall you hear<em>  
><em>Of carnal, bloody, and unnatural acts,<em>  
><em>Of accidental judgments, casual slaughters,<em>  
><em>Of deaths put on by cunning and forced cause,<em>  
><em>And, in this upshot, purposes mistook<em>  
><em>Fall'n on the inventors' reads: all this can I<em>  
><em>Truly deliver."<em>

Shion listened to the verse, feeling it wash over him with its beauty in Nezumi's commanding voice. "What was that?" he asked, curiously, eyes wide.

"Hamlet," Nezumi answered.

The title sounded familiar enough but Shion's teacher rarely covered English literature in his schooling so the area was sadly uncovered for Shion.

"I like it," he said then, bluntly, openly.

Nezumi might have been about to say something but the sounds of screaming outside caught their attention. His silver eyes flashed in alarm as he forced himself towards the door, his stance far too guarded then.

"Nezumi, what-" Shion started.

"Stay here," he ordered, not sparing Shion a glance before he exited the building.

Shion's brows furrowed then, watching Nezumi leave him behind. He should have listened but he didn't. He quickly followed after Nezumi, exiting through the doors to the outside streets and freezing on the spot soon after. The scent of smoke was the first thing he noticed - a strong, smoky scent that almost made him gag right then and there. The people running and screaming was the next thing he noticed.

_What..? _Alarmed, Shion spotted some men dressed differently than the other city folk, lighting up the places with lighters and Molotov cocktails. The appall washed over him as he realized they were the ones putting the houses on fire.

Why were they doing this? Why? _Why?_

Their faces looked familiar, too, but Shion couldn't figure out from where.

"Stop!" Shion ordered, rushing over to one of the men, trying to grab their arm in a vain effort of getting him to stop from putting another house in flames. His action was countered with a firm back slap and shove backwards, making him slam against the ground. His cheek burned from the slap, and he darted his hand up to it, feeling it throb.

"What the hell are you doing?" Nezumi demanded, grabbing him and forcing him backwards. Shion stumbled, trying to regain his balance, and looking up into the cold, flashing eyes of Nezumi.

"I was just trying to help," he stammered, his throat feeling dry.

There was the sound of laughter from the men before they were running off, leaving the city in peril and flames.

Nezumi let go of his arm then, and Shion felt pain go through it from the tight grasp. "Don't be stupid," he remarked. "You think you can run in and order people around? Your authority means nothing here."

The words were rough and sharp like a knife and hurt more than Shion thought they could.

"Who..were they?" Shion asked, quietly then.

Nezumi gave him a long look before giving a small laugh, but it was far too mocking and almost cruel. "You don't know people from your _own_ city, your _Majesty_?"

Shion held his breath, eyes wide with realization.

His city people had done this.

"I don't understand. . ."

Why would they do this? Why do such a cruel and hateful act such as this? He couldn't help but wonder all of this as he scanned the area, seeing some of the houses still burning as others threw buckets of water to get rid of the fire. Everyone looked so shaken and afraid, and it was so terrible.

"It's simple. We're a thorn in No. 6's side, and their retaliation is by trying to exterminate us."

_No,_ Shion thought. It couldn't be that simple.

"Is everything so black and white for you, Nezumi?" Was there only extremes in Nezumi's world? Was there no middle ground? No area of gray?

"Not everyone can afford to be as foolishly idealistic as you, Shion," was Nezumi's blunt response.

Shion shook his head a bit. "You're wrong," he said. "It doesn't have to be like this."

Nezumi didn't answer him, and Shion turned around, beginning to walk away. He paused only when he heard Nezumi speak out loud.

"You can't change the world."

Shion paused, glancing back. Maybe it was false optimism, or maybe Nezumi was far too cynical. Either way he knew he had to try because he knew none of this was right at all.

"I'm not trying to change the world," he insisted. He darted his gaze to the ground then. "But not all of us are as heartless and superior as you paint us out to be."

With that, Shion left.

* * *

><p>~xx;~<p>

* * *

><p>The train ride back was long, and Shion waited, his thoughts heavy.<p>

Somewhere along the road he began to question everything he once knew, and wondered if everything he knew was a lie.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** I'm sooo sorry for the long delay. I had a bad case of writer's block for the longest time, and I guess you can say I'm barely recuperating from it now. Hopefully I can get back into the writing mode in getting this story moving along because there's a lot more left in store for it. We're barely getting past one milestone for it.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter! Your kind words were much appreciated! (Except for that one really rude review that I felt had no basis for it but to insult me just because they had an immature intense hate for Safu. Whateven.)

To the one reviewer that asked if this was going to be yaoi: I'm not entirely sure. There will be hints of shounen-ai, but if it will border past to the lines of yaoi I'm not exactly sure just yet.

Please review again? I love hearing all of your thoughts!

Till next chapter, xoxo.


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